The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession

Send your future questions to podcast@abmp.com .   The podcast sponsored by:   Anatomy Trains   Guests:   Eric Stephenson is a 20-year massage veteran and Chief Wellness Officer for Elements Massage. Eric is also Co-Founder of imassage, Inc., an education and consulting company dedicated to extending the careers of massage therapists and spa practitioners through customized continuing education fo...

In this episode, a client might be disappointed. A therapist is very concerned. And we don't know what will happen next. When a "pinched nerve" that has been quiet for six months suddenly creates symptoms in the middle of a massage, what's a therapist to do? We will talk about what could be going on here (including some fascinating things about nerve-generated pain), and what the best next steps c...

Recent events have turned our world upside down. Our routines have been altered, our freedoms have been compromised, and fear of harm is at an all-time high. It's natural to feel powerful emotions like stress, sadness, and grief in times like these. In this episode, author and instructor Cindy Williams, LMT, talks about what happens when these emotions become too powerful or uncomfortable to manag...

Guess the  p athology:  an  e gg-sized  l ump in the  g roin .  In this episode of  "I Have a Client Who …"   a massage therapist describes a client who comes in asking for groin work—to help with a "knot . "      What on earth is going on?     It turns out to be simple, but way, way outside our scope of practice—to label, or to treat.      Inguinal hernias are common injuries in men, because the...

Everyone is selling something, massage therapists and bodyworkers included. It's all about  how  you sell what you're selling. What MTs and bodyworkers are really selling is an hour of their complete, undivided attention and caring. But what happens when the client is "right," but factually wrong? Cal Cates and Kerry Jordan of  Healwell  have some thoughts about the difference between the validity...

A man has a stroke at age  35. He fully  recovers, but   is put on a  lifelong   prescription of  anticoagulants. What is going on, and will he ever be able to receive the deep massage he wants?    In this episode of  "I Have a Client Who …"  we look at a common anomaly called patent foramen  ovale . We discuss its connection to cryptogenic stroke (and we even dive into migraine for a hot second)....

Zeel  Co-Founder Alison  Harmelin  and  Zeel  Senior Director of Public Health and Workplace Safety Amir  Hemmat  discuss the current state of PPE for massage therapists, including how to prioritize which products  to use  and  which  partners to  trust,  how to plan ahead so you're not caught unprepared in your practice, and what steps  Zeel  is taking to ensure the safety of their therapists and...

A client who was recently in a motor vehicle accident was "cleared for massage" by her primary care provider. But it turns out she had no X-rays and that hid the fact that she sustained a fracture to her sternum. What is the responsibility of the massage therapist when a client has been "cleared for massage"? Ruth has some thoughts.   Interesting links:   Despite deaths, injuries and recalls, air...

Author and educator Cathy Ryan joins the pod to discuss her love of fascia and how her work has been informed and changed by research over her 30-year career. We discuss Cathy's approach to working with scar tissue, deep dive into the wound-healing process, and talk about the possibility of facilitating change in both mature scars and those soon after insult.    This episode sponsored by:   Yomass...

An older long-time client is on the table, midway through her massage. When the MT undrapes her leg, she finds a string of red blisters from the client's buttock down the leg. "Oh, yeah, it's kind of itchy," says the client. In this episode, we talk about undiagnosed skin lesions, and how carefully we need to talk about them. Then, we take a deeper dive into shingles: what causes it, what the risk...

Is it possible that mouth   breathing has contributed to, and exacerbated, numerous health conditions?  New York Times  bestselling author James Nestor wants to convert you into a nose breather.  He  spent years in laboratories and ancient burial sites, working with researchers at Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, and other institutions to figure out what went wrong with our breathing—and how...

A client complaining of seemingly uncomplicated shoulder pain has a very complicated issue indeed—the wrong choices here could have led to very serious repercussions. Pathology educator Ruth Werner shares one of her own "I Have a Client Who …" stories involving a neighbor, her garden, and her mysterious, stubborn shoulder pain—that turned out not to be shoulder pain.   Are you interested in referr...

The sacrum is held with a reverence because of its energetic, structural, and nervous system significance. Working to create positive change in this area can help balance your clients. Listen as Massage & Bodywork columnist Cindy Williams equips MTs with the information needed to foster a safe working environment for both MTs and clients, removing fears of working in this area.   This episode spon...

A beloved long-time client is already affected by heart disease and diabetes. Now his hands have begun shaking too. Is there a safe way to help him, given his medical history? In this episode, pathology educator Ruth Werner addresses the complex overlap of conditions that this client lives with, with special attention to his latest challenge: essential tremor, a common, sometimes debilitating prob...

How do emotions affect our biology? What determines how we interpret an experience? How do we navigate a heated exchange? How can understanding emotional intelligence help us? Listen as we wrap up our three-part mini-series on communication skills with Angie Parris-Raney, a 20-year MT who also has certification in Chopra Center meditation. Conscious communication means stopping during an altercati...

A client recovering from a stroke seems to have given up on getting any better. His massage therapist would like to help, but what can they do? Pathology educator Ruth Werner dives into an "I have a client who ..." story with a description of stroke, how it affects function, and the role of massage therapy in this context. This is a complicated situation that also involves ethical boundaries, comm...

Organization, communication, and trust are the three pillars Nancy Saunders's bodywork practice, and important skills she establishes when educating new professionals at the Boulder Massage Therapy Institute in Colorado. From the basics of connecting often with clients to the physical appearance of your space—especially during COVID-19—Nancy reminds us of the importance of setting and holding your...

What does successful client communication look like? It involves active listening, foregoing judgment and assumptions, and clear direction. University of Denver assistant teaching professor Dr. Kerry Mitchell guides listeners on being present for your clients during COVID-19, "selling the why" during difficult conversations, and being aware of verbal triggers.   The episode is sponsored by:   Yoma...

Whitney Lowe and Til Luchau discuss "emergency remote learning" during the pandemic and how instructors have had to adjust quickly and get creative with their approaches to teaching. Lowe and Luchau talk about balancing hands-on components with computer learning, maintaining quality education online, keeping learners engaged, and what the future might hold.     This episode sponsored by:   Anatomy...

Host Darren Buford checks in briefly with pathology expert Ruth Werner on recent WHO statements regarding asymptomatic spread of COVID-19, then transitions to an in-depth discussion with Massage Mastery Online's Director of Education, and Preventing Disease Transmission in a Massage Practice author, Anne Williams about the future of digital textbooks, teaching effectively in the 21st century, and...

How do we "embrace the suck" during a pandemic? Join us in this latest episode of The ABMP Podcast's Conversations in Quarantine as Brene Brown Dare to Lead certified instructor Amy Andrews McMaster walks us through a discussion on vulnerability, braving tough times, removing our armor, and finding our call to courage.   This episode sponsored by:   Anatomy Trains   Yomassage

In Part 2 of our discussion with Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds of Massage Business Blueprint, we discuss short-term business triage ideas and long-term goals, planning for worst-case scenarios and unpredictability, accounting basics and financial literacy, impostor syndrome, developing your dream practice, diversification, and productivity in a downtime.

Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds, the team behind Massage Business Blueprint and Massage & Bodywork magazine's column Blueprint for Success, join us to discuss current life without massage and touch, client communication during a crisis, Allissa's decision to close her practice and office space, and what's the secret sauce that makes up Massage Business Blueprint's services and membership offer...

Irene Diamond, consultant, CE provider, and developer of Active Modulation Therapy & Active Muscle Massage, speaks with us about what MTs can do when they can't offer hands-on work. Diamond speaks about virtual/remote services within practitioners' scope of practice and other options for serving clients when you can't provide therapeutic touch.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Hand & Stone's Nathan Nordstrom, Nordstrom describes changes and considerations to the spa and practice environment, including new cleaning protocols, staggered start times, engaged intake processes, and the ethical dilemmas of reopening and clientele psyche.